Spring-cushion.



Patnntod luly I8, |899.

no. 629,:09. l

A. CRD. SPRING CUSHION. (Anuncian and oct. 17, isos.)

(II-o Model.)

l :I ...i :Ila I UNITED STATES PATENT OEEICE.,

ALVIN o. McconD, oF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No; 629,109, dated Jury is, 189e. Application filed October 17, 1898. Serialli.'693,715.f .(No model.)

To @ZZ who'ntzlt may concern: y K

Be it known that I, AL-vIN C. McConD,"a

citizen of the United States, residingat lChicago, in the county of Cook andState of Illinois, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Spring-Cushions', (Case-No.` y3,) of which the following is a full, clear,` con! oise, and exact description. v

vMy invention relates to spring-cushions primarily adaptedfor use in the construction of railway-vehicles.

springs possess an advantage over the coiledl The spring-cushion of my invention is particularly serviceable in connection with' car trucks and buers.

In the construction of car-trucks bolsters have been supported either uponv coiled springs or upon elliptic springs. The elliptic cured by the more expensive elliptic springs.

serving greatly to reduce the vibrations. In

For this purpose frictional devices have been associated with coiled springs, the friction friction devices employed' Vfor this purpose means havebeen used for securing the frictional pressure totally independentlyof lthe,l coiled springs and of the parts between-Which;

v vtween the elements of the friction device is the same are interposed.

It is the object of my invention greatlytf.)

simplify the construction of spring-cushions employing coiled-springs 'and auxiliary fricy tion devices and to make the frictional pressure between the elements of the friction devices associatedivith the coiledsprings de-l pendent 'upon the parts between'which the" ,spring-cushions,areinterposed and in v the preferred embodiment ofthe invention-to employ the coiled springsas a medium `through which the cushioned parts operate tosecure the required friction. f

By means of my invention Iam enabled praci tically, tosecure theresults obtained by the use of ellipticpsprings and am at the same time enabled to produceaspiring-'cushion` Whichis cheaper and which will last-longer than the elliptic springs heretofore used, In

the construction of trucks for supporting passenger-coaches', locomotives, and freight-cars for conveying delicate and perishable freight lit is necessary that the jolting movements of,-

the bolster be minimized, for which purpose elliptic springs have most generaliybeen employed. I find that I am enabled to replace elliptic springs used in these various connec-V tions by the simpler and cheaper device of my construction, securing practically the same results.

` Generally speaking, the kinvention comprises a spring-cushion interposed between relatively-movable parts-as,for example, the

'spring-plank a'nd bolsterA of -a truck-and a friction device operated by the said p'arts.

rlhe invention'vin its preferred'embodiment may generally be described as' consisting of a friction-sleeve, a` pair of flanged or bell,- crank levershaving arms extending Within the bore Yof the "s zleeve, saidfsleeve and levers engaging the parts between Which the springcushion'is to be interposed, and-a spring engaging the sleeve at one'endfand outwardlyextending arms'of the levers atthe other end, the spring serving to press thebell-crank levers into frictional engagement with the interior Vofy the sleeve, either fby transmitting the force of the weight ortheforce of the concnssionto the levers.

f Bymeans of my invention the special means for maintaining frictional pressure bedispensed with, this work being performed by the parts separatedby the spring-cushion, the spring-of the cushion in the'preferred embodiment being employed to actuate frictionlevers. As to the state ofthe art reference may be had to the patent granted to Dick and Luders August 13, 1878, No. 207,020.4

yI'Willexplain my invention more particularly by reference to the accompanying drawings, in Which- IOO of Fig. 2.

yof'a spring-cushion constructed in accordance With my invention; "Fig, 3 is au elevation of one of the friction-levers.

Fig. et is a similar view with the friction-lever rocked upon its pivot in the position it might assume Fig. 5 is a sectional View of the sleeve on line 5 5 Fig. (i is a bottom View of one f the friction-levers. Fig. 7 is a sectional view on line 7 7 of Fig. 3.

Like letters indicate like parts throughout thediiferent figures. v

In Fig. l I have illustrated my invention as being applied to awell-knotvn swing-motion diamond freight-car truck. The invention, however, is capable of use with other forms of car-trucks and for other purposes. I have shown but one spring a of a group, which is interposed `between the bolster b and springplank b". As the construction and arrangement of the vspring-plank bearing h2, column-v bolt Z13, column guide or transom h4, and the arch-bars b are Weil known to'those skilled in the art, I do not deem further mention thereof to he essential. The spring is preferably constructed ot' round bar-steel flattened at each end, the spring being in the form of a spiral. I preferably employ as one f friction element a sleeve-c, whichis prefervss riphery by one end of the spring.

ably surrounded by the sprin For the other friction element I preferably employ two flanged or bell-crank friction-levers d d, which are preferably opposed, each having an arm d', extending Within the sleeve, and a second arm cl2, engaged atv its outer portion vorpe- The latter arms are shaped as shown most clearly in Figs. 2, 3, 4, and G. The arms of the levers extending Within the sleeve are scmicircular in cross-section, as shown in Fig. 7, the levers when assembled forming a longitudinallysplit tube, the arms d2 forminga flange to the tube. I preferably provide a lever-plate c, upon which to rest t-he arms (Z2. The faces of the arms d2 that engage the lever-plate are cut away, as shown most clearly in Figs. 3 and 4,*to provide fulcra d3, about Which the friction-levers may be rocked. Those portions of the arms d2 that engage the spring a are preferably inclined from the periphery toward the center, so that the spring will only engage the arms at the periphery when the levers are unexpanded, so that upon the application of force to the springs the frictionlevers may be rocked 4and brought into engagement With the friction-sleeve. The leverplate is mounted in the applicationof the invention shown in Fig. l upon the springplank, and the sleeve is fastened to the bolster, the sleeve being preferably flanged at its upper end. The friction elements d' cl c are each preferably provided With chilled inserts d d4 c to increase the durability of these parts. The inserts carried by the levers are adapted frictionally to engage the inserts in the sleeve.

Vhile I have illustrated the spring-cushion of my invention as being disposed bet-Ween the bolster and spring-plank of a car-truck, it is obvious that it may bedisposedv between other parts Whose relative movement isl to be retarded or to reduce the number of vibrations.

c It Will be observed that the coiled spring a performs the double function of cushioning the separated parts and of transmitting to the friction-levers any force impressed upon the coiled spring bythe separated parts. Thus the coiled spring upon its compression is'the means of securing frictional pressure between the elements of the friction device, as the elliptic spring is capable of producing friction between its component plates. The fricv tional pressure varies with the load or pressure upon the spring.

It will be apparentthat by means of my invention no auxiliary devices need-be employed for securing frictional pressure between the elements of the friction device, the separated parts being adapted to furnish the necessary force, while inthe preferred embodimentthe coiled vspring of the cushion is employed to transmit the force to frictionally engage the elements of the friction device.

. When the device of my invent-ion is employed in car-trucks, thecoiled spring is con'- stantly under pressure,whereby the frictional elements are constantly maintained in engagement, the frictional pressure varying accci-ding to the degree of compression of the spring. In Figs. l and 2 the spring is shown as being distended nearly to its full limit. IVhile I have illustrated the sleeve c as being provided with a flange, itis obvious that other means may be employed for securing an engagement between the sleeve and the spring.

It is obvious that changes may be made in my improved spring-cushion Without departing from the spirit of myinvention, and Ido not, therefore, desire to be limited to the precise construction shown; but,

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire t o secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. The combination with the coiled spring a, of the'sleeve and'friction-levers, the pressure of the spring acting upon the said friction-levers to cause frictional pressure varying with the load against the sleeve, substantially as described.

2. The combination With the coiled spring a, of a friction element and friction-lever mechanism, the pressure of the spring acting upon the said friction-lever mechanism to cause frictionalv pressure varying with the 'load against the friction element, substantially as described. l

3. The combination with the coiled spring a, of a sleeve c surrounded by the spring, and

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tional pressure varying with the load against the interior of the sleeve, substantially as described.

4. The combination with the' coiled springv c, of a sleeve c surrounded by the spring, and opposed friction bell-crank levers d d,an 'arm' of each of which' extends within the sleeve,

Y the remaining arm of eachlever being engaged by the spring, the presso re of the spring actingupon said levers to cause frictional pressure varying-With the load against the interior of the sleeve, substantially asf-described.

5. A springfcushion'comprising a' sleevfe, a Y

lever-plate; flanged levers carried upon'the lever-plate, the said levers andsleeve 4having frictional engaging surfaces, and a Acoiled spring interposed between and engaging the sleeve and levers whichvcauses lthe'latter fricrtionally to engage the sleeve, substantiallyas describedl y,

6. A spring-cushion comprising a ilanged sleeve, a lever-plate,lbellcrank levers. pivot- `ally supported upon the lever-plate, an armv ofeach 'ot' said levers extending within the sleeve, the arms within the sleeve being capable of outward expansion and of frictional engagement with the interior of the sleeve,v and a coiled spring interposed between the remaining arms of the levers and the {iange of the sleeve, which spring serves to cause the arms within the sleeve to expand and frictionally engage theinterior of the sleeve, substantially as d'escribed.

7. In a spring-cushion, the combination with a friction element c, of a lever adapted for vfrictional engagement therewith, and a coiled spring engaging and interposed between the lever and said frictionelement and serving frctlionally to engage said lever and friction element, substantially as described.

S. -In a spring-cushion, the combination with a friction element c, of a bell-crank lever, one of whose arms is adapted for frictional engagement with said friction element, and a coiled spring interposed' between the remainingoarm of the lever and said friction element and serving frictionally to engage said lever and friction element, substantially as described.

9. In aspring-cushion, the combination `with a coiled spring interposed between the ss.v

parts to be cushioned, of a friction element,

and alever engaged by thespring and thereby brought into frictional engagement with the friction element, substantially as described. V10. Ina spring-cushion, the combination withacoiled spring interposed between the parts to be cushioned, of a friction element, and a bell-cranklever, said lever having one arm engaged by said spring and its remaining arm forced into'frictional engagement with said friction elelnentby said spring, substantially as described.V

1l. Ina spring-cushion,the combination'- ,witha coiled spring interposed between the parts to be cushioned, of a friction bell-crank lever vtricti'onally' engaging or adapted frictionally to engage a surface, said friction-lever being engaged by the spring for its operation, substantially as described. l

12.` In a. yspring-cushion, the combination ywith a coiled spring interposed between the partsto becushioned, of a friction-lever frictionally engaging or adapted to engage a surface, said friction-lever f beingfadapted to be operated by said spring, substantially as described.

13. In a spring-cushion, the Ycombination with a coiled spring .interposed between the parts to be cushioned, of a friction bell-crank lever frictionally engaging or adapted frictionally to engage a surface, one arm of the lever extending within the bore of the spring the remaining arm being engaged by the spring to operate the friction-lever, substantiall'y as described. i

let. In a spring-cushion, the combination with a spring interposed between' the parts to be cushioned, of a friction-lever frictionally engaging 'or adapted to engage a surface,

' said frictionflever being adapted to be operated by said spring, substantially. as described.

. In Witness whereof I hereunto subscribe my name this 18th day of October, A. D. 1898.

.v ALVIN C. MCGORD.

Witnesses:

A. L. LAWRENCE, GEORGE L. GRAGG.

ICO 

